Differences between African and Asian Elephants

Differences between African and Asian Elephants

Source – science made simple

When looking closer there are remarkable differences between African and Asian Elephants. The types are the same for both of them which is taxomomical family, elepahantidae.
But they are in different genus,

• Asian Elephants - Elephas maximus
• African Elephants - Loxodonta africana (Savanna elephants) or Loxodonta cyclotis (Forest elephant)

African elephants are significantly larger compared to Asian elephants.

African elephant

Source – UPALI.CH

Weight: 4000 – 7000 kg
Shoulder height: 3 – 4 Meter
Skin: More wrinkled
Number of ribs: Up to 21 pairs
Highest point: On the shoulder
Size of the ears: Bigger, reach up over the neck
Shape of the belly: Diagonally downward in the direction of the hind legs
Shape of the head: Not crumpled from the front to the back, no humped structures, no dent
Teeth: Lamella profile of the molars diamond-shaped
Tusks: Existing with both sexes. Bigger with the males
Lower lip: short and round
Food: Mainly leaves
Trunk: With more rings, less hard
Trunk end: With two fingers
Toenails: Foreleg 4 or rarely 5 / Hind leg 3 or rarely 4

Asian elephant

Source – UPALI.CH

Weight: 3000 – 6000 kg
Shoulder height: 2 – 3.5 Meter
Skin: Smoother
Number of ribs: Up to 20 pairs
Highest point: On the back
Size of the ears: Smaller, do not reach over the neck
Shape of the back: Convex or straight
Shape of the belly: Either almost straight or sagging in the middle
Shape of the head: Crumpled from the front to the back, with humped structures on the top of the head, forehead dented
Teeth: Lamella profile of the molars strongly compressed
Tusks: Males in many cases having tusks. Females having only rudimentary or no tusks
Lower lip: long and taper
Food: Mainly grass
Trunk: With less rings, harder
Trunk end: With one finger
Toenails: Foreleg 5 / Hind leg 4 or rarely 5

African vs Asian differences

Source – thomsonsafaris

Source – trunktruths

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